The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Bishop calls on PM to apologise

Federal Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop has called on PM Julia Gillard to withdraw her fiery comments made in parliament this week, in which she labelled Tony Abbott a misogynist.

"It is a vile slur, she should apologise to the women in Tony Abbott's life, and she should withdraw it," Ms Bishop said in a speech to the Liberal Party's Victorian State Council in Ballarat on Saturday.

Ms Bishop opened her speech - in which she accused the Prime Minister of hiding behind her gender - with an address directly to the party's female members and candidates.

"You are here because of your qualities, you are here because you've been judged on your merits, you are not (here) because you're part of a quota system, and the Liberal party is proud of you," she said, drawing rapturous applause.

Noting that Ms Gillard's remarks on Tuesday went viral across the globe, Ms Bishop said many people were missing the fact that the PM had been defending then-speaker Peter Slipper, who has since stepped down after his "vile" text messages referring to women's genitalia were made public.

"Would women around the world be applauding if they knew her speech was in defence of the indefensible?" Ms Bishop said.

Ms Bishop defended Mr Abbott's personal and political record on women, describing him as a loving son, husband, brother and father of three daughters.

Related Articles

She pointed out that in his time as health minister with the Howard government, he focused on women's health issues including a free national cervical cancer vaccine and a centre for gynaecological cancers.

While workplace relations minister, he steered the Women in the Workplace Equal Opportunity Act through parliament, she said.

Ms Bishop said Ms Gillard could not blame gender or Mr Abbott for her government's failures and backflips on the carbon and mining taxes, live cattle exports, border protection and the state of the nation's finances.

She said the Labor government had spending, taxing "in its DNA", and that it would be left to a coalition government to bail the country out of hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.

"We've done it before and we'll do it again," Ms Bishop said.

Speaking before flying to Jakarta, where she'll join Mr Abbott along with opposition agricultural and immigration portfolio holders, Ms Bishop said Australia had vast opportunities to expand its trade with Indonesia and other countries in the Asia Pacific.

She hailed Mr Abbott's recently announced policy of a government funded two-way student exchange with the regions' nations. The policy draws from a 1950s Menzies-era initiative, and Ms Bishop said it would be a signature policy of a coalition government that would create "incalculable" benefits for Australia.

The country needs a coalition government now more than ever to "restore pride to this great country", she said.